Filing device for letter files, portfolios, and the like



sept. E 1924. 1507,54?

A. GRNEWALD FILING DEVICE FOR LETTER FILES, PORTFOLIOS, AND THE LIKE Fild lay 5, 1923 2 Shoots-Sheet l SmmQ L 35mm? A, GRUNEWALD FLIN@ DEYCE ROR LETTER FILES, PORTFOLIOS. AND THE LIKE" www Patented Sept. 2, 1924.

UNITED STATESv PATENT ortica;

ALoYs GRNEWALD, or BERLIN, GERMANY.

FILING DEVICE FOR LETTER FILES, PORTFOLIOS, AND THE LIKE. y

Application filed May 5,

To calli/)710m t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALoYs- GRNEWALD, a citizen of the German Republic, residing at Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements lin a Filing Device for Letter Files, Portfolios, and the like, of which the following is a specification.

The filing devices of thecommonly used letter iiles consist generally of a base plate with pins fixed to the right hand side cover of the file and of wire bows to be swung back if the letters have to be inserted or removed and which coverusually the ends of said pins. Letter files of this type present the inconvenience that the space which 'the vrounded part of the wire bow requires islost for iiling papers, so that the back of the le must be made larger than the useful lengt-h of the pins for the height of the ro-unded part of the bow. Ithas. been proposed to obviate this inconvenience by arranging the wire bows so that they can be let down at the height of the ends of the pins perpendicularly to the direction in which papers are tol be turned over. If hinges are used for this purpose, as` has been proposed, the papers in the file ymay be easily caught by the hinges and the perforations may be torn out. These hinges are diiiicult to manufacture as the dimensions of the same must not exceed the thickness ofthe wire of the bow so thatthey lare not capable to withstand. the strain of modern office work.

This invention relates to filing devices for letter files, portfolios and the like in which the oscillable bows are adapted to he let down perpendicularly to the direction in which the papers are turned over sothat the width of the back of the file cany be thoroughly utilized. The invention consists in fixing the bows oscillably on a plate whichis hingedly connected with the base plate of the filing device. A further characteristic feature of theI invention is that the oscillable plate has quadrant-shaped slots designed to guide the hook-shaped ends of the bows extending beyond the fulcrums and to limit the movement of said ends. In the form of construction of the filing device which has just been mentioned the filing pins are fixed in the base plate attached on the righthand side cover of the letter iile and the plate which supports the i923. serial No. 636,910.

filing bows is hingedly connected with the base plate;

The form of construction may however be modified so that the filing pins are fixed on an oscillable plate, the folding bows being fixed on the base plate which in this case would be fixed on the back of the letter file. This form of construction in `which the whole device isturned of 900 with regard to the device according tothe first menftionedform of construction, presents the appreciable advantage that the filing pins and th-e free arms ofthe bows form horizontal long slide rails upon which allthe papers filed may he moved to and fro so that it is possible to turn over the papers filed like the leaves of al book.

In order to make the invention clearly understood I shall hereinafter describe the `same with reference to the twoA forms of construction of the invention shown'by way ofV example in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

'ferred form of'construction of the improved filing device, one of the hows being in upright position and the other bow being let down. y v

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the filing device, thebows being raised. Fig. 8 is a cross section on line A-A of Fig. l, the bows being omitted. v

Fig. l-shows in perspective view the filing device according to the second form of con-v struction. v i Fig. 5 is an endk view, the filing device in the closed file placed on the back.

j Fig.V 6 is a similar view to Fig. 5,thei`iile being open. Y i

The filing device shown in Figs. 1-3 is re- ,movably connected with the file vin order to facilitate transport. lith this object in view a plate lfwith overturned guide edges 2 is fixed by means of capscrews 3 on the Aright hand side cover rm ofthe file..

This ,base plate 4l onwhich the filing pins Fig. l shows in perspective view the prec 5 are fixed is removably xed on said cap ies ilo'

pendicularly to the direction in which the papers 11 are turned over. The journal pins 13 of the bows 12 are arranged at the. height of the upper ends of the filing pins 5. In order to ensure the guiding of the bows 12 and to limit the vertical or horizontal positions of the same the bows 12 extend beyond their journal pins 13 and have hookshaped ends 14 projecting each through a quadranteshaped slot 15 of plate 9 so that the movement of the bows in the plane of the same is prevented, a secure mounting and guiding of the bows 12 being thus ensured. The plate 9 has a longitudinal Ifla-nge l16 at the lower edge which is enlarged at the middle. The enlarged part 17 of Hangs 16 is gripped under a blade spring 18 which is bent in the shape of a hook and fixed on base plate 1. The height of the bows, measured yfrom their journal pins 13 is approximately equal to the height of the filing pins 5 so that all the papers above the upper edge of plate 9 may be iiled on the left hand arms of the bows 12.

The operation of the device is as follows If the file cover is open both bows 12 are in horizontal position. If at any point a aper has to be inserted or removed the two bows 12 are turned to the upright position in alignment with the pins 5. The led papers may now be turned from right to left and pushed upon the straight left hand arms of the bows 12. The supporting plate 9 can be swung to the left (Fig. 3), the enlarged part 17 of the flange 16 pushing baclr the blade spring 18 and plate 9 coming in contact with flange 6 of the base plate 1. After the papers have been inserted or removed plate 9 is pushed to the right into the vertical position, the ends of the bows 12 engaging again with the upper ends of the filing pins 5. The bows 12 are now let down into the horizontal position and the file is shut.

In the second form of construction shown in Figs. 4 to- 6 a plate 19 is fixed on the back r of the file and a supporting plate 20 in which the journals 13 of the filing bows 12 are journaled is fixed by cap screws 3 on said plate 19, The ends of the bows 12 eX- tend beyond the journal pins 13 and they are bent to form hooks 14 engaging with the quadrant-shaped slots 15 designed to guide the ends 14 and to limit the movement of the same. The plate 21 on which the filing pins 5 are fixed has a continuous flange 16 and two `studs 8 mounted in lugs 7 of the plate 20. The pin plate 21 is adapted to be oscillated for a determined small angle with regard to t-he plate 2O and it is secured in its two end positions by the action of spring 18. The operation is as follows The file filled ycompletely or partly, is placed on the back (Fig. 5) the right-hand side cover rm and the papers filed are gripped with the right hand, the index linger being inserted bows 12 are turned to the left with the free left hand so that the free arms 22 of the same form extensions of the filing pins 5. If now the one part of the contents of the file is dropped to the left and the other part to the right the file is opened like a book (Fig. 6). freely pushed to theright or left upon the straight guides formed by the iling pins 5 and the arms 22 of the bows, each paper filed being well readable up to the inner edge and on both sides, the front and back. If any of the papers have to be removed kor if a paper has to be inserted in the le. the plate 21 with the filing pins 5 is oscilliated so that it adopts the position indicated in Fig. 6 inv dash lines, so that the paper may be easily pushed over the free ends of the inclined pins 5. If the plate 21 with the pins 5 has been pushed back to the horizontal position all the papers filed will automatically drop back upon the pins 5 as soon as the back of the file is brought into the vertical position. After the bows 12 have been turned over again, the left-hand side cover lm of the lile can be shut. The horizontal long guides 5-22 present in comparison with the first form of construction (Figs. l to 3) the advantage that it is no longer necessary to raise the filed papers on the filing pins in order to file any papers nor to move the filed papers along the bent parts of the bows.

Instead of the plate 21 with the filing pins 5 a bow of wire bent in form of a loop may be mounted on the plate 21 the ends of which serve as filing pins. The guiding of the bows 12 and the limiting of the movement of the same can be ensured also by The papers filed can bey Cil making the ends of the bows fork-shaped so that the two arms of each fork are guided over and under the plate. The arms of each fork-shaped end are connected by a pin designed to slide in the quadrant-shape slot 15.

The tiling device maybe used for any type of letter file, for portfolios or for other purposes. Large files for filing newspapers, periodicals, drawings, maps or sample cards have two or even more filingl devices which might be combined by means of continuous supporting plates. j

I claim 1. A filing device for files, portfolios and similar articles comprising in combination filing pins, bows which, standingupe right in the normal position, can be folded overl at the height ofthe upper ends ofthe file pins perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the papers filed, va base plate on which the filing pins are yfixed and n Supu portino plate hingedly connected with said base p ate and on which the bows are oscillably mounted.

2. A filing device for letter files, portfolios and similar articles comprising in combination a file cover with back, a sifllpporting plate fixed on said back of the e cover, bows mounted on said supporting plate so that from the normal upright position they may be folded 'perpendicularly to the direct-ion of movement of the papers filed, a base plate oscillably mounted on said supporting plate and filing pins fixed on said oscillable base plate so that they may be brought out of alignment with the free arms of the bows, the free arms of which form in the unfolded position of the bows horizontal guides for the papers filed.

3. A filing device for letter files, portfolios and similar articles comprising in combination filing pins, bows which standing normally upright can be folded over at the height of the upper ends of the liling pins perpendicularly to the' direction porting plate, and extensions of said pivot- Y ed arms ofthe bows extending beyond said journal pins bentto form hooks and engaging with the hook-shaped ends in said slots of the supporting plate. t

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. l

ALOYS GRN EWALD. Witnesses HEINZ W. HAss, M. FoHR. 

